The war between Russia and Ukraine turned out to make many Americans worried that their country would be directly involved in the conflict and threatened with nuclear weapons. These are the results of a recent survey from the Associated Press.
Nearly half of the respondents said they were very worried about being attacked directly by Russia with nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, 3 out of 10 respondents admitted that they were quite worried about this possibility.
Then, 9 out of 10 residents said they were quite worried that Russian President Vladimir Putin would use nuclear weapons to attack Russia. Furthermore, 6 out of 10 expressed extreme anxiety.
"He's out of control and I don't think he cares about anything but what he wants. And he's got nuclear weapons," said Robin Thompson, a former researcher quoted by the Associated Press.
"If Russia's ultimate goal is to regain Soviet territory, then that means they will put pressure on NATO countries which I think will escalate very quickly," said one respondent.
Tara Drozdenko of the Union of Concerned Scientists stated that there is always a risk if the warring parties possess nuclear weapons. "Whenever a nuclear-armed state is close to conflict, there is always a risk of nuclear escalation," he said.
So far, there have been no strong signs in that direction. If it is true that there is a war with nuclear weapons, the consequences will be very dire because the technology and capabilities are far developed compared to the past.
The capabilities of nuclear warheads vary, depending on their construction and design. But by today's standards, the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki are nothing.
Modern nuclear bombs are much more powerful. The atomic bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were roughly equivalent to 15 kilotons of TNT and 20 kilotons of TNT. Modern nuclear bomb, 5 times more powerful.
"Many of the modern nuclear weapons in Russia and the United States are thermonuclear with an explosive power equivalent to 100 kilotons of TNT," said the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons quoted us from Deustche Welle,
In terms of quantity, Russia has the most nuclear warheads in the world, numbering 6,225, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The United States is in second place with 5,550 nuclear warheads.
However, the US excels when it comes to ready-to-operate nuclear weapons where there are 1,800 already positioned on missiles. Meanwhile, Russia has 1,625 ready to operate. Ready to operate means that at any time it can be fired at the target once there is an order.
Other countries that have nuclear weapons include China with 359 warheads, France with around 290 warheads, and Britain with around 225 nuclear warheads.
Nuclear war itself would certainly be devastating for anyone involved. If the Kremlin in the Russian capital was bombed with 100 kiloton nuclear weapons, the death toll could reach 250,000.